Tag: medium difficulty

Birthday season is upon us in the Feasting family. Cakes, bakes, canapés and celebration continue from now, right through to the New Year. Therefore, making this Orange Lemon Ombre Piped Rose Cake with family in mind, resulted in a beautifully decorated, delicious cake, perfect for guys and girls of all ages.

So the cake itself is made using Wright’s Baking Orange Cake Mix, to which lemon zest is added. Baked as a single cake, it is then sliced into three layers which are sandwiched back together using tart lemon curd. The result, a balanced citrus flavoured cake, that wakes up your tastebuds ready to party!

Orange Lemon Ombre Piped Rose Cake full of hidden fruit.

In addition, the decision to decorate the cake with piped buttercream roses, shows an increase in confidence with regard to piping. Creating an ombré effect, from pale lemon swirls to deeper tangerine lends a modern finish to this cake.

Since piping this Heart Engagement BundtCake, crumb coating, covering the whole cake in a thin layer of buttercream, was not an option, it was a must. The finished cake looks much cleaner, more professional and any gaps between the roses are already covered.

Orange Lemon Ombre Piped Rose Cake my entry for #GBBOTwitterBakeAlong

While not absolutely necessary, the added edible violas give the finished cake an elegant, yet natural touch. Their presence hints at the floral, citrus flavoured cake hidden by the piped roses.

You will need a 20cm/8″ diameter 8.5cm/3.5″ deep tin to bake this cake.

Starting with the cake tin, grease the entire tin and also line the base with parchment paper.

Into a large bowl add the water, egg, oil and one packet of the orange cake mix. Weigh the other packet of cake mix and divide in half. Add half of the packet contents to the bowl – it was approximately 260g. Please check the weight for yourself.

Whisk the ingredients together according to the instructions on the packet.

Finally add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon, approximately 1tsp, to the bowl. Whisk to distribute and combine.

Pour the citrus cake batter into the prepared tin.

Cake batter in the tin and ready for the oven.

Place the cake tin in the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Test the cake at 1 hour 20 minutes with a skewer. The cake is baked when an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Once baked remove the cake from the oven, place on a rack and allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.

Breath in the rich, citrus, homebaked aroma.

When the cake has cooled turn it out of the tin. Also if necessary, run around the outer rim of the cake with a palette knife. Doing this will loosen any slight sticking, that said Wright’s cake mixes are excellent and always turn out of the tin easily.

Preparing the cake for decoration:

The cake whilst baking rose slightly more in the centre. The cause may have been the addition of an egg to the cake mixture, or, baking at a slightly higher temperature.

First cut off any dome on the top of the cake. Having a small rise in the centre is an advantage with the finished cake.

Spread the bottom layer with an even, thin layer of lemon curd, so that it almost reaches the edges.

Next, place the middle layer on top of the bottom layer, matching up the sides.

Again, spread a thin, even layer of lemon curd on to the cake, keeping just inside the edges.

Finally place the top of the cake on to the middle layer.

Shaping, slicing and then reassembling the cake.

Preparing the cake:

Place the softened butter into a large bowl.

Sift the icing sugar into the same bowl.

Next add the very hot water and lemon extract.

Finally whisk the ingredients together, starting on a slow speed and increasing the speed, until you have a pale, fluffy, lump free, buttercream.

Remove 3 heaped tablespoons of the buttercream and set aside to crumb coat the cake. First place the buttercream on the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the icing across the top of the cake, gently pushing it over the sides. Rotating the stand, or board, gradually cover the sides of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Finish by dipping a palette knife into hot water, drying and running the hot knife over the cake, this will produce a smooth finish. Place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the crumb coat to set slightly.

Colouring the buttercream:

Divide the remaining buttercream equally, between 3 bowls.

Use cocktail sticks, gel food colouring and a teaspoon to stir, start colouring the icing. It is easier to achieve the lightest colour, which is piped on to the top of the cake, first. Doing so sets the shade and tint of the icing.

Following on, add more colouring to the next bowl, until the shade is correct. Finishing with the last bowl and deepest colour, add extra red and yellow gel until the desired deeper colour is obtained.

To pipe the buutercream, fit 3 large, disposable piping bags with large star piping nozzles – Wilton #1M. Fill each bag with a separate shade of buttercream. Label the piping bags light, medium, dark, so they are distinguishable.

Natural lemon flavoured buttercream and the 3 shades created for the ombré effect.

Decorating the Cake:

Starting right in the centre, on top of the cake, using the lightest shade, pipe the first rose. Begin in the centre of the rose, keeping pressure steady on the bag pipe a star, continuing into an e shape, then continuing round to form a rose swirl.

Continue working evenly around the centrally piped rose, piping more rose swirls. Carry on until the top of the cake is covered, or almost covered, in evenly piped rose swirls.

Following on, use the next shade darker, pipe rose swirls around and inbetween the lighter shade, then pipe evenly around the side of the cake.

The image on the right shows the colour difference.

Complete the cake by piping the darkest shade around the base of the cake. The full ombré effect is then complete.

Orange Lemon Ombre Piped Rose Cake very effective.

For the very best results place the piped cake into the fridge, or somewhere cold, for 30 minutes.

Just prior to serving add the edible violas.

Orange Lemon Ombre Piped Rose Cake perfect with a Buck’s Fizz!

Beautifully baked, evenly distributed fruit, decorated with rose swirls, this Orange Lemon Ombre Piped Rose Cake demonstrates how easy it is to create a sensational cake using a mix.

Because of my health limitations, creating this cake from scratch would be too much for me. Of most importance, my aim, to show how the ombré piping effect is achievable, at home, with a little practice. Secure in the knowledge that the cake underneath is reliably good. A couple of badly piped roses were removed, using a butter knife and re-piped. Practice and making mistakes is how we learn to improve our skills.

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Beautiful cakes do not have to be difficult to create. Since I am most definitely not an accomplished cake decorator, I have learned a few decorating techniques that enable me to finish a cake to a good standard.

Most of all I hope you have been inspired to try out a new technique? Homemade cakes taste infinitely better than their supermarket counterparts. While they are convenient, no amount of love, has, at any stage been added to the cake. Baking at home creates a unique, delicious cake that will prompt huge smiles from the recipient and those who share in the celebration and cake!

During the nine weeks that the Great British Bake Off is aired, Renshaw Baking have been holding various competitions, to encourage bakers to get baking. For my part, as a blogger, I chose to take part in the blind, technical challenge. The result being my Chocolate Share Eclair Flower.

Chocolate Share Eclair Flower perfect for sharing.

True to the ‘technical challenge’ on the programme, I was given a list of ingredients and vague instructions on what to do with said ingredients!

I immediately recognised the recipe as being that for choux pastry, however, when making choux pastry you add water or milk and Renshaw had kindly left that part out!

Fortunately I have baked quite a few profiteroles and eclairs over the years and remembered the 2:1:1:2 rule – that is double liquid and egg to flour and butter. All good except the recipe called for differing amounts of flour and butter.

Aargh. Stay calm Sammie.

It does me good to have a good talking to myself and remember to relax and enjoy the process.

After a couple of trial bakes, both of which produced 8 even, straight eclairs, I knew I wanted to play.

Chocolate Share Eclair Flower 3D and fun to make.

I came up with the idea of creating flower petals, of two different sizes. The larger petals sitting on the base surrounding the central, single profiterole, whilst the five smaller petals sit on top and between the lower petals, creating a 3D flower, made from choux pastry.

Whilst making and baking my Chocolate Share EclairFlower I stuck rigidly to the recipe, as they would have to do on the television programme. It was so hard not to add sprinkles, glitter, piped contrasting chocolate, but I didn’t. The instructions asked for our inventive interpretations of the recipe – I took that to mean design!

Below is the recipe and method. Written in bold is where I had to fill the gaps!

Note: This recipe will yield 8 straight chocolate eclairs. Baking time is the same, simply pipe 8 even straight lines.

Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment, set to one side.

In a large saucepan add the butter, salt and water. Place over a high heat.

When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium and add all of the flour.

Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes, keeping the pan on the heat. The mixture should be completely lump free and the flour will have had a chance to cook slightly – this needs to happen to ensure a good structure for the eclair.

Pull the saucepan off the heat and keep stirring to cool down the mixture.

Add 1/2tsp vanilla extract to the beaten eggs.

Add the eggs to the flour mixture and beat thoroughly to incorporate them into the mix, it can take a little time, just keep stirring with the wooden spoon and eventually everything will come together to form a thick, sticky choux pastry.

Making the choux pastry.

Spoon the choux pastry into a large disposable piping bag.

Cut approx 1cm off the end of the bag.

On one baking sheet pipe 5 tear drop shapes, approximately 10cm/4″ in length.

On a separate baking sheet pipe 5 more tear drop shapes, approximately half the size of the larger ones. Pipe one single profiterole, using a damp finger to press down any tip.

Place both trays, evenly spaced in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Do not open the oven during the first 25 minutes of baking as this could cause your piped choux petals to collapse!

After 30 minutes remove the trays from the oven and place the choux pastry petals and the profiterole on to a cooling rack.

Leave until cold.

Piping, baking, cutting and preparing the choux petals to be filled with cream.

Whilst the pastry is cooling pour the whipping cream, 1/2tsp vanilla extract and 4tsp icing sugar into a medium bowl.

Whisk until the cream holds a stiff peak.

Spoon the cream into a large disposable piping bag.

Starting with the largest petals, using a serrated knife cut the petal in half, so that the cream can be piped onto the bottom half. Lay each petal down so that the bottom is cut side up and the top is cut side down.

Do the same for the smaller petals and make a small incision in the side of the profiterole.

Cut approx 0.5cm off of the piping bag and proceed to pipe cream, following the shape of the petal. As each petal is filled replace the top. When all the petals have been piped with cream, push the piping bag into the incision in the profiterole and fill with cream.

Filing and piping the choux pastry with chocolate.

Place the chopped milk chocolate into a heatproof, microwaveable bowl and zap on medium, in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring after each zap. When the chocolate is fully melted pour into a disposable piping bag (or alternately you could dunk the petals in the chocolate).

Pipe chocolate around the choux petals and cover the top half of the profiterole in chocolate.

Use a butter knife to spread the molten chocolate on the choux petals.

On a large flat plate or board place the profiterole in the centre. Evenly space the 5 larger petals around the profiterole. Carefully place the smaller petals inbetween and on top of the larger petals.

Chocolate Share Eclair Flower dusted with a little icing sugar.

Dust the centre of the choux flower with the remaining icing sugar and your Chocolate Share Eclair Flower is complete.

Place in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set.

Serve with friends and family, who will no doubt be impressed with your artistic flair. As the flower has now been submitted I have embellished it a little using some sparkles.

Chocolate Share Eclair Flower with sparkling pollen!

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like profiteroles or eclairs, so this is the perfect way to make them into something different, that can then be shared and enjoyed.

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